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Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Because I am interested in natural health I continually come across eastern medicine and also things like yoga, meditation and such therapies.

For the last few months I have been involved in many sessions of something called "I-Rest". I decided to give it a try, being open minded and also seeking God's discernment of whether or not it was compromise. This is what I felt I learned. For many of you it may not have any bearing in your life since you are not interested in such practices. But this is an issue that is given very little thought by open-minded Christians who seek to have a "non-legalistic" viewpoint. And honestly, I believe we have a duty to "have an answer" to those who have found peace outside of God.

Some of you may say "Impossible! There isn't peace outside of God!" But with all respect, you're wrong. I've seen people over and over and over find "peace" without any credence given to God. People who have found real help.

What is
I-Rest:

I-Rest is a
discipline of mentally and emotionally supporting your healing
process by guided meditation. It is not an emptying of the mind, as
some would believe meditation, but simply taking the time to listen,
to know, to face, and ultimately to welcome the unresolved issues in
our lives. In our fast-paced world we rarely take the time to listen
to the signals and messages our body tries to tell us. Someone asks
us “How are you?” and we habitually reply that we are “good”,
without the slightest notion how we really are. When is the last
time we took notice? To know “where we are at”? We live in
stress, or anxiety or fear or guilt (the list can go on and on) but
we aren't even able to put a label on our unrest; it's just a hanging
burden. A burden we get so accustomed to we forget it's there. But
it's there; constantly wearing us down. We haven't taken the time to
face “it” because we haven't even accepted “it's” existence.
I-rest teaches how to stop for a moment and listen. To ask yourself
where you're at in life. How are you? Really, how are you? And the
stressor will come, the fear, the guilt, the trauma, it will come to
you. I-Rest then gives you the chance to hold “it” in the light
and view it for what it is. It's no longer a nameless, constant
weight in the back of your mind. You can see it. You can face it.
And you have the choice to either continue to ignore it, or to
welcome it, accept it, feel it; instead of flee. And in that moment
there is a liberty that comes with the courage of holding onto it
without letting go.

Why
Christians can use it:

I-Rest is a
tool; not a religion. I-Rest actually promotes biblical principles.
Instead of ignoring or running away from our negative emotions or
circumstances, I-rest teaches that these can be embraced and accepted
and learned from. As Christians, we know this to be true. The bible
says “...count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But
let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and
entire, wanting nothing.” Hardship works our our faith and
teaches us patience and ultimately creates completeness. This is
biblical. I-Rest teaches to embrace pain, to face it, to hold it
along with joy, and to accept them both. I think of the hymn “More
Love Oh Christ” and the verse “Let Sorrow do it's work, send
grief and pain, sweet are Thy messengers, sweet their refrain, when
they can sing with me, more love oh Christ to thee...” This is in
essence, I-Rest. I-Rest says, instead of fleeing from sorrow, why
not let it do it's work? Allow yourself to feel grief instead of
continually building a barrier to emotion. Instead of resisting,
sing with them! C.S. Lewis, the renowned Christian author, practiced
this discipline. When his wife died Lewis decided to “observe”
his grief. He wrote about it. He held it. He wept. He felt it.
It was a constant companion. And by observation he was able to heal.
“Sorrow, however, turns out to be not a state but a process.” -
C.S. Lewis, 'A Grief Observed',59

The reason
Christians would not use it:

Although
I-Rest is suited to the
Western world, it's roots are founded in Indian philosophy and Yoga
Nidra. Modern Yoga Nidra is basically a relaxation technique that
was derived from ancient tantra (Hindu ritual text dating to the
6th-13th
centuries) by an Indian student of Yoga, Swami Satyananda in the
1970s. Although the intentions were to make Yoga Nidra available to
every culture, regardless of religion, it's roots are undoubtedly
connected to ancient Indian religion, including their god, Vishnu.
I-Rest is an indirect adherence to the doctrines and principles of
the tantra. Though I-rest is several steps removed from it's eastern
religious background, it's roots lead directly to Indian rituals.
This is something, that as a Christian we cannot be comfortable with,
because we believe in one God.

Dueteronomy
6:4-5 “...The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the
LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with
all they might.”

Isaiah
45:5-7 “I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God
beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: That they
may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is
none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else. I form the
light, and create darkness: I make peace and create evil: I the
LORD do all things.”

“...I
am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father
but by me.” 1 John 14:6

This
is the “narrow mindedness” of Christianity. Truth is often
“narrow minded”. There is a wrong way, and there is a right way
to most things. There are absolutes.

For
example: I have one biological father and will always, only have
one, and there is no other way to have more than one. This may come
across as narrow minded if you believed there was the possibility to
many biological fathers, but it is actually an absolute truth. I
know and believe I can only have one biological father. I am not
narrow minded in believing this; I am believing in truth.

I
also know I can only have one God, and one heavenly Father. I know
Him personally and love Him. To deny this would be like denying the
truth that I have one biological father, whom I personally know and
love. I would never accept anyone claiming to be my biological father
who wasn't. They would be false father. Just as I would never want
to give allegiance to anyone that claimed to be my god, who was not.
They would be a false god. By following yoga principles I could
indirectly give credence to a false god.

“Enter
ye in at the straight gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the
way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in
thereat: Because straight is the gate, and narrow is the way, which
leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Matthew 7:14

I-Rest also
encourages you to find your inner resource. I do believe that we
ignore our God-given tools to recognize illness, to accept both the
“negative” and “positive”, and to understand what our health
options are. But we are not sufficient of ourselves.(2 Corinthians
3:5) We are all born with a need of God.

At least once
in our lives we have done something to be ashamed of. We have lied,
we have stolen, we have looked on someone in lust... the list goes
on. Inherently we know we are wrong. God gives us a list of
commandments (His law) to show us we have at least broken one of
these. Even breaking one makes us a law breaker. God tells us in the
Bible that there is eternal consequences for the immoral law breaker.
It's called Hell, a place of everlasting fire and torment. One of
those absolutes. But God is not willing that any should perish. We
have broken God's law but Jesus paid the fine. “For God so loved
the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth on Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
(John 3:16) We have a need, and He met it.

We have to be
careful with the idea that we are complete without Him. That we can
find every solution to life outside of Him. Nothing can replace Him,
not even I-Rest.

I-Rest follows
many biblical principles and therefore does help
people. But for the unbeliever in Jesus it could become a mimic
alternative to God. God has called us to peace (1 Corinthians 7:15).
No other peace is as complete as His peace.

My
conclusion

Though
I am convinced I-Rest is helpful and a legitimate benefit and even
involves many biblical principles, it also stems from a religion and
mind-set that I do not fully agree with, as a Christian. I am
thankful for the things I have learned from I-Rest and even intend to
continue practicing these principles. But I-Rest in and of itself is
something I cannot completely stand behind.

Many
Christians refuse to learn from things around them if they are not
directly affiliated with their church, or their denomination. This
is true narrow-mindedness and needs to be considered since it is a
stereotype that we encourage by this behavior.

We
Christians also need to realize that God is not a “fix-all” to
our life. Life includes the good times and the hard
circumstances. We are promised “fiery trials” (1 Peter 1:7).
But God also tells us that these trials are the fire that purges us
and makes our faith as precious gold. God did not promise us a life
of ease as Christians. He is not our jinni that we go to when we are
faced with dire circumstances. Prosperity has nothing to do with
Christianity. Instead in Jesus' life we see compassion, which leads
to service, we see unconditional love, which leads to vulnerability,
we see obedience, which led to death. If we follow Him long enough
we too will experience these things. Christian, just as I-Rest
teaches, and also the Bible, you will have burdens. You will have
struggles. You will have hardships.

The
question is: Will you face it? Will you accept them? And will you
give them to Someone far more capable of carrying them?

Friday, December 25, 2015

"Why are many Christians so often defeated? Because they pray so little. What are many church-workers so often discouraged and disheartened? Because they pray so little.
Why do most men see so few brought "out of darkness to light" by their ministry? Because they pray so little.
Why are not our churches simply on fire for God? Because there is so little real prayer.

...Has it ever occurred to you that our Lord never gave an unnecessary or an optional command? Do we really believe that our Lord never made a promise that He could not or would not fulfill? Our Saviour's three great commands for definite action were:

Pray ye --
Do this --
Go ye--

Are we obeying Him? How often His command, "Do this," is reiterated by our preachers today! One might almost think it was His only command! How seldom we are reminded of His bidding to "pray" and to "go." Yet without obedience to the "pray ye," it is of little or no use at all either to "do this" or to "go.""

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

It's cold outside... what better day to make soup? This is a recipe that I found in Cook Illustrated cookbook. If you like mushrooms, spicy, and creamy goodness...you'll love it! Especially good with homemade bread!

Thai Chicken Soup Recipe:

1 oil

2 TB fresh ginger

1 garlic clove

2-3 tsp Red chili paste

6 cups chicken stock

3 TB fish sauce

1 TB sugar

2 (14 oz.) coconut milk

1 Chicken breast

8 oz. Mushrooms

3 TB lime juice

Salt

Green onions

Cilantro

Saute` oil, green onions, and mushrooms (sliced) in a medium size pot. Add ginger, garlic, red chili paste, and fish sauce. Then add sugar, lime juice, and chicken stock. Let simmer for about 20 minutes. Then add coconut milk and salt to taste. Add chicken (cut in small cubes). Cook for approximately 5 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked. Garnish with cilantro.

Lynea's notes: Because this is a somewhat thin soup...I doubled the mushrooms and chicken.

Thursday, December 17, 2015

You have a burden. And if you're
like most people on earth, you more than likely have multiple burdens.

A burden can be that 104th
thing on your plate, it can be a relationship, it can be watching a
sibling struggle, it could be depression, family politics,
health...anything.

I want to encourage you that you
have three options on how to deal with them, and only three.

1: You can leave them.
Mentally, physically, emotionally. Burdens are frightening. They
are overwhelming. They are painful. They are more than you can
handle. So you can turn away from them and think on something else,
do something else, ignore that burden. It's sometimes easier to stop
trying. To stop caring. Leave. Run away. This is option number
one.

2: Man up! Take them on, full
charge. You're tired of the guilt of apathetically ignoring the
situation, and no-one else is doing anything about it. As a good,
strong daughter you take it upon your shoulders to face the problem.
If so-and-so can't: you will. You rush in and give relief.
Nevermind the fact that you're crumbling. Nevermind you're hurts.
You will give aid, even if it kills you. This is option number two.

3: You pick up the burden.
It hurts. You allow yourself to feel the grief and the pain or the
stress and you stretch out your arms, holding it up for God to take
it from you if it's His will. You admit you aren't strong enough.
Some of these burdens aren't your responsibility. You hand them over
to Someone who can take charge. Some of them are fears that must be
faced or they will always shadow your steps. Some of them are people
who only need someone to listen, not to fix them. You choose not to
ignore or to take charge, but to silently bear the grief and let
God deal with it. It still hurts, but there is no apathy, no
responsibility, no fear, no pride; you are simply a channel for God
to move thorough. He in you is strong enough to hear someone out.
To face the frightening relationship. To live another day with
illness. To know whether to say no, or to continue on. To carry a
secret grief. To love the unloveable. To be secure in the midst of
family turmoil. He through you carries burdens. It hurts to have
Him rend your heart in order to reach out of you for someone else,
but ultimately, it is Him that does the carrying. You're just the
little box He chooses to live inside. The vessel.

Monday, December 14, 2015

"Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body." Hebrews 13:3

Her Husband’s Killers Are Hunting Her

"In 2007, Luz and her husband were pastoring a small church in a remote Colombian jungle and joyfully anticipating the birth of twins. One day, her husband left to buy supplies and never came back. He was stalked and assassinated for his faith.

VOM immediately relocated the pregnant Luz and her young daughter, and the hit man was arrested and sent to prison.

Eight years later, the man was released from prison, and now the rebels are hunting Luz. Again, VOM immediately relocated her to a safe place."

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

"Some murmur if their sky is clear,And wholly bright to view,If one small speck of dark appearIn their great heaven of blue:And some with thankful love are filled,If but one streak of light,One ray of God's good mercy, gildThe darkness of their night."

Saturday, December 5, 2015

I am the eldest of
seven. I have never experienced the trials and triumphs of being a
younger sibling, much less “the baby”. In a recent conversation
that I had with my younger sister I marveled at the perspective of a
younger sibling and wondered if all younger siblings felt this way.

I decided to ask you,
my readers, your thoughts on sibling hood. With theResults of Polland
many conversations, I have some thoughts to share
with siblings.

To the Eldest and
Middle child:

I might be “the
hardest” on the eldest, simply because I am the eldest. But this is
for all older siblings:

Our younger siblings
grow up. Novel, I know. But seriously, we will always view our
younger siblings as “young”, because we are so many years ahead
of them. But I have found in my conversations with siblings, that
the eldest , or even middle children, will forget that their little
sister is a young woman, or that their baby brother has actually
turned into a young man, and we, older, maturer, wiser ones, forget
to treat them as such.

Did you realize that
younger siblings are born with an innate desire to please their older
siblings? It's true. There is an “awe” given to younger
siblings for their “big sister” or “big brother”. We older
siblings can take it for granted, or not recognize it. This is an
opportunity to influence our siblings for good, and yet it is often
squandered.

It's easy to get
caught up in life. Honestly, between schooling, our job, our
hobbies, our friends and just life in general, it's easy to overlook
some of the greatest blessings: our siblings.

According to the
poll, and to many personal friends, I've learned that younger
siblings struggle with feeling lonely or forgotten. They yearn for
quality time. They desire to be treated as young women or men, not
babies.

Craving Attention

Craving attention leads to many things. Did you know your little sister craves male
attention. Even your 9 year old sister. As she grows older she
suddenly is aware of young men near her age. At 14-15 your sister is
also noticed by boys. They get “the look” are whistled at...etc.
For the last four years they've felt kinda ignored. At this age
they are super sensitive and emotional.

I remember the first
time I was whistled at. It was in a parking lot as I was walking
back to the car with my mom. I wasn't quite fourteen. It was a
rather embarrassing moment, but I later recounted it in my diary –
I was shocked. And it was kind of pleasant. I later felt convicted,
and got rid of the outfit I was wearing! But the point is, these are
real feelings going on in the heart of your “baby” sister. You
are busy with “important” things and never dream your sister
yearns for your attention. As a brother you have an incredible
opportunity of guarding your sister's heart. I don't just mean
physical protection, although that is obviously imperative. It's
also a message to your sister that you care – that you believe her
to be cherish-able. That she's worth something. And when you are
worth something, you'll think twice before giving your heart away.
BUT, your sister also craves attention. Not just protection. I
still immensely enjoy little notes from my brothers. Or a hug. Or
even a reprimand. Or going on a walk. Or driving together
one-on-one. These actions prove I'm loved. Your little sister, no
mater if she's 4, or 24, needs this. As a teen she might just go
looking for it somewhere else. Of course your inaction is no excuse
to her bad behavior. But you do have an opportunity. Even possibly
a duty. And I don't necessarily mean your sister might go onto an
online dating site, or run off, or something that extreme. Although
it's happened, over and over again in the most conservative Christian
families. But she might take up romance novels and day-dream her
life away. She might take up flirting. She might saturate her heart
in things less than innocent. We older sisters can also encourage in
this area, but I have found that brothers have an amazing open door
into their little sisters hearts like no-one else.

Young brothers also
need attention. At a young age their hearts are tender and
impressionable. They respect their older sisters. The desire, even
at a young age, to be chivalrous, to be protective, to be manly. We
can encourage this, or snuff out theses admirable feelings. Do we
take our little brothers seriously? Do we allow them to be
chivalrous? Do we treat them like inconvenient brats, or like
knights in training? How we treat them does influence their
self-image. How do we speak to them? In what tone? Are we
belittling? In conversation to others, or in patronizing actions?
Men desire respect (no matter what age). We can either fulfill the
world's stereotype of sister-brother relationship, or we can
influence them to be godly men. We have that choice.

Middle children often
feel ignored or overlooked. The eldest is given many
responsibilities, the youngest is spoiled, and the middle is left
high and dry. Sometimes they are told to “act like your older
sibling” and they are resentful. We must keep this in mind. In the poll there was a percentage of siblings that never felt pursued as a friend by their older sibling. This is heart-breaking to say the least. 28% never feel included in their siblings lives or activities. 62% of siblings wished their siblings would communicate more. 60% of siblings said that quality time with their older siblings affected them emotionally and spiritually.

Control Freaks

As older siblings we
have the tendency of “taking over”. Of orchestrating. I
recently did a post on this. (A Post for Martha). With this
tendency comes the negative occurrence of the younger sibling having
very little responsibility in the home. She has little opportunity
of taking pride in managing housewifely tasks. She struggles to
learn basic homemaking skills. She is given the left-over tasks.
They are the helper, never in charge. They can grow resentful, or
even bored. Which both lead to negative outcomes. Older sister, we
can include our younger sister in our responsibilities. Sure it
takes more time. But our little sister needs to learn how to bake
too. We make baking cookies fun now, and she will appreciate making
meals later on. Ask your little sister to not only help but ask if
she'd like to take over a task for you. You know, if it's not done
exactly “your way” the world won't end? I remember Corrie ten
Boom sharing how she always did the housework, while her older sister
always managed the shop. One day they decided to trade chores, and
they found that Corrie was much better suited for the shop work, and
her sister immensely enjoyed the very same housework Corrie found to
be drudgery. Consider asking your little sister if she'd like to
trade chores.

Also with this
attitude of “taking over” our young men are encouraged to “step
aside”. We encourage the instinctive feminist flame every time we
“take charge”, when really it's the men's responsibility. We
affect our brothers.

Recently it has
occurred to me that maybe the men in our lives would speak up if we
would pause to take a breath and be still. Maybe the men would step
up if we didn't consider ourselves the “fix-all” to every
circumstance. Maybe the men would take charge if we stopped assuming we're the only candidate for getting the job done. Maybe men would
be leaders if we stopped treating them like “baby brother”. It
is possible to rob our men of
the opportunity to be leaders, protectors, and men. Do our men trust
us? Are we working on making our men “known in the gates” as
righteous leaders, or do we verbally accuse them and put them down?
How we treat our men now is a good indication of how we will treat
our man later.

Encouragement

I'd like to encourage
you, older sibling, that you have an amazing opportunity to influence
your siblings. Your attitude greatly effects them (especially your
attitude towards your parents). They often follow your lead.

Younger siblings also
desire to share their heart, they just aren't sure how to approach
their distracted busy older sibling. You will be amazed, if you take
the time, what your sibling will share with you. Especially if you
aren't critical or their “fix-all”. But simply and sincerely a
listener. Communication is sometimes a sacrifice. But it's also
something God admonishes us to do.

“But to do good and to
communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well
pleased.” Hebrews 13:16.

Your sibling doesn't need condemnation.
They get that from many other places. They don't need a nit-picker.
They need unconditional love and someone who communicates. They
actually can teach you a lot if you give them the chance. And they
will be a lot more apt to listen to your advice later on if they know
you're a friend, not just a “big sister” or “big brother”.
They desire to be included in your life. Faith shared with me how,
as a little girl, and even not so little, how important and loved she
felt when we older kids asked her opinion. Go ahead and ask! They
want to share. They desire to be accepted. We cannot change our
siblings. Our criticism is not helpful. Hold no expectations but
simply be a friend.

To the Baby and
Younger Siblings:

I would like to
encourage you little sister or brother that you are important to the
family role. You will always have the “special spot” in
everyone's heart, as the “baby”.

With this comes some
hard tasks. I have heard from many “babies” of the family that
they struggle with selfishness. They were spoiled, and it is hard
not to take things for granted.

The little sibling
can be a blessing or a great hindrance to their older siblings. You
are capable of making the older siblings life complicated or sweet.

Attention

Young lady, I want
you to know you can boost the confidence of your older brother. If
you cherish his protection you can encourage chivalry in his heart.
Sisters often prepare their brothers for their future marriage. You
can either habituate them to tantrums and ungratefulness, or your can
make their job a pleasure.

Sometimes younger
siblings will belittle their older siblings to lift themselves up.
You don't seem naive, or childish if you are rebuking your older
sibling, criticizing their mistakes or telling them what to do.
Babies of the family can be really bossy. This does not benefit
anyone. It usually stirs up that older sibling to be more strict, or
it can actually make some cow to your wishes (depending on
personalities).

It is possible to be
meek and humble without being naïve or childish. In fact, your
obedience or humility will prove your maturity and even convict your
older siblings to greater heights.

You may have to work
hard at communicating with your older siblings. You might have to
let them know you desire their attention. You might have to
initiate. This is a sacrifice, but it's worth it! You might expect
your older sibling to be the encourager, the mature one – when in
fact, God has planned for you to step up and encourage. Older
siblings are human. We need you as much as you need us. Little
notes from my younger siblings makes my day. We can be lonely too,
you know? We can crave attention. Sometimes we older siblings forget
to communicate how thankful we are for you younger siblings. This
morning while doing devotions one of my younger siblings woke up and
I could hear him singing as he got out of bed. It blessed my heart
to hear him so cheerful. If I do not let him know, he may never
realize his attitude effects me (his older sister). Day by day you
might be being cheerful for your family's sake. You might be the
peacemaker. The encourager. And it is easy to become discouraged
after continuous days of giving, and no-one seems to notice. Dear
friend, your efforts are not in vain! They are noticed. They are
helpful. Even if no-one thanks you. God is using your service.
Your attitude effects your older siblings. Your attitude effect
those who have authority over you. God asks that you obey them and
submit yourself. This is profitable to you.

“Obey
them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they
watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may
do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for
you.” Hebrews 13:7

Taking Control

You also might have
to take the initiative to learn lessons not expected of you. You
might have to outgrow your parents or older siblings little
expectation and take on responsibilities. Often older siblings are
shouldered with tasks out of necessity. You aren't expected to help
with the cooking. You aren't expected to get a job. You never were
asked to do the laundry or clean the house. To drive your mom to her
appointment. Maybe your older siblings are burnt out? Overtaxed.
And you simply never noticed how you could be a help, because no-one
expected you to.

You have the
opportunity to either be a taker or a giver. A blessing or a
hindrance. Also remember, even if you are the “baby” in your
family, there are usually younger “siblings in Christ” that are
watching you. You are a testimony of what the baby of the family
should be. You are an influence. God specifically put you in your
family, exactly where you're at on the totem pole, for a specific
purpose. It's your calling to be the baby. Be faithful friend, He
will use you.

Encouragement

“Say not you cannot
gladden, elevate, and set free; that you have nothing of the grace of
influence, that all you have to give is at most only common bread and
water. Give yourself to your Lord for the service of men with what
you have. Cannot He change water into wine? Cannot He make
stammering words to be instinct with saving power? Cannot He change
trembling efforts to help into deeds of strength? Cannot He still,
as of old, enable you in all your personal poverty “to make you
rich?” God has need of thee for the service of thy fellow men. He
has a work for thee to do... 'Whatever He saith unto you, do it.'”
George Body, Daily Strength for Daily Needs, p.110

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

"You are seeking your own will, my daughter. You are seeking some good other than the law you are bound to obey. But how will you find good? It is not a thing of choice; it is a river that flows from the foot of the Invisible Throne, and flows by the path of obedience. I say again, man cannot choose his duties. You may choose to forsake your duties, and choose not to have the sorrow they bring. But you will go forth, and what will you find, my daughter? Sorrow without duty- bitter herbs, and no bread with them."
(George Eliot, Daily Strength for Daily Needs p. 297)